Yes, Dogs Watch TV—And They Have Favorite Shows, Too

Dogs in the Living Room, and Now in the Ratings

They may not appear in Nielsen ratings, but dogs are silently shaping living room habits. A groundbreaking study from Auburn University, published in Scientific Reports, explored the TV-watching behavior of 453 dogs. Researchers developed a specific metric—the Dog Television Viewing Scale (Dtvs)—and surveyed over 650 owners to understand how dogs interact with screen media.

Led by researcher Lane Montgomery, the team discovered a hidden audience with surprisingly complex responses to television, ranging from fascination to stress.

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What Do Dogs Like to Watch?

According to the study, dogs are most reactive to stimuli involving other animals. Barking or howling dogs on screen caught the attention of 45% of the dogs observed. Sounds like doorbells or car engines also triggered responses, though less frequently.

On average, the dogs watched about 14 minutes of TV per day. While that may not sound like much, it’s enough to influence their mood and behavior.

“Television offers dogs a unique perceptual experience,” the researchers noted. “It can mentally stimulate them—or, conversely, cause stress depending on their emotional makeup.”

It All Comes Down to Personality

Using the PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) and DIAS temperament scales, the researchers matched each dog’s TV behavior to personality traits:

• Excitable dogs were more likely to visually track moving objects on the screen.
• Anxious or fearful dogs reacted more to non-animal stimuli, such as ambient noises.
• Surprisingly, age, breed, gender, and neutering had little to no effect on screen engagement.

It turns out a dog’s personality—not its pedigree—dictates how it watches TV.

Why This Matters for Animal Welfare

The implications go beyond scientific curiosity. In shelters and homes, curated TV content could provide enrichment or help calm anxious animals. Programs tailored to canine viewers might be a tool for reducing boredom or easing stress in rescue environments.

“The interaction with television could offer dogs a meaningful and enriching experience,” the study concluded. Still, the researchers caution that the findings reflect behavior only among dogs that already show interest in screens—not a definitive percentage of all dogs.

Dogs Understand the Screened World

Perhaps most fascinating of all: the study suggests that dogs can interpret two-dimensional screen images as representations of real-world objects. That means they don’t just see the dog on the screen—they understand what it is.

This opens a new chapter in the study of animal cognition, where dogs aren't just passive spectators but potential media consumers—with tastes, quirks, and personalities that are finally being explored.